The Welsh Government's statement on publication of The National Archives Information Management Assessment report

December 2014

The Welsh Government participated in The National Archives Information Management Assessment programme in March 2014. The report published today covered the Welsh Government's offices in Cardiff, Treforest and Merthyr Tydfil.

I welcome the assessment which recognises a number of examples of good and satisfactory practice. I am also pleased to note that The National Archives has acknowledged our good practice in their "Information Management Assessment: A review of good practice from the IMA programme, 2008 -14" report.

While there is much to be proud of in the report, I take on board the report's comments about areas for improvement. How effectively we handle information and keep records has a direct impact on our ability to support Ministers and to deliver vital services to the people of Wales. We've made a lot of progress already, and this is will continue to be a priority in the coming year.

The changes to the constitutional and democratic landscape that are opening up right now offer us a huge opportunity to develop public services the 'Welsh way'. We must remember that the records we create now will be invaluable resources for historians of devolution in the future. It is important that we continue to work with The National Archives to preserve the collective memory of the country for the future.

We will now develop an action plan in collaboration with The National Archives that addresses those areas for development, in particular to strengthen information risk, governance, digital continuity and oversight. We will also use our action plan to address Sir Alex Allan's recommendations on records management and sensitivity review.

Sir Derek Jones Permanent Secretary Welsh Government